For 4390km this trail will lead you from the Atlantic coast of Ireland eastward, across the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland, where you will come to an abrupt halt on the Beskid Pass which is the Ukrainian border. Follows a gap in the trail: the portion through Ukraine and Romania and the first stretch in Bulgaria is non-existent. You can then continue again on the last 400km stretch through Bulgaria's Rhodope range to Mezek near the Turkish border.

As with all European long distance paths, the waymarking reveals the different national policies. This is Europe! And this is the best reason to love the continent!! Anyway, in Ireland, England and Holland the trail is made up of existing, well documented, and very good waymarked trails. Germany offers a mixed deal: the E8 partly uses some existing long distance trails, but mostly local paths. Austria again has a wide network of trails, also accommodating the E8. In Eastern Europe, local paths and roads are used, and generally the waymarking is very good, but often you have to knit the color schemes together yourself. Unfortunately, in Ukraine and Romania hiking facilities are largely extinct. In Bulgaria however, some good waymarking has been done.

Well, let's put things together now. This is the complete string of trails making up your complete E8-hike: